Green: Generosity & Youth
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, day ninety-three: COLORS #6 Rachel is realizing there's someone at McKinley who does like Mr. Schuester.


_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a second cycle, and then a third and fourth cycle. Now here comes cycle 5!_

_Found this list I had a while back, of colors and connotations, and I decided to make a series around it! So...  
**Colors of Glee: 6 of 12:** Green: Generosity & Youth_

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**"Green: Generosity & Youth"  
Emma & Rachel; Will/Emma**

After the rose-colored glasses had come off and she'd stopped pursuing Mr. Schuester like a deranged stalker, part of her was ready to banish the whole experience to the very back of her memories. She couldn't believe how she'd acted, made a fool of herself. Whatever deep-seated feeling which had convinced her he was the answer to her loneliness, she wouldn't indulge it… anymore.

But then there was one thing which, now that she was in her right mind once more, she was able to see for what it actually was. And that was the fact that, unlike her, there was someone at McKinley High with genuine feelings for Mr. Schuester.

She'd taken Miss Pillsbury's presence at what she later realized was meant as a sort of intervention, with some misplaced hostility. Was she trying to take her Schue-bear from her? Not in her life!

And then Mr. Schuester had gone and charmed them both into submission with his voice. She was mildly aware of how Miss Pillsbury seemed equally smitten, but she was unable to deal with it, as it meant she'd have to pry her eyes and her ears away from him.

Thinking back now though, the picture presented itself in a very different light. She didn't see herself anymore – not that she'd want to, with the way she was acting – but she saw Miss Pillsbury clear as day. It wasn't infatuation for her, not a silly school girl crush… she actually liked him, maybe even loved him.

She didn't know Mrs. Schuester very well. In one encounter she had given her and the other Glee girls 'vitamins' which had ended up in near disaster for the club and in the other encounter, she had Rachel cook and clean for her. Maybe it was just a matter of the kind of exposure she'd had, to Mrs. Schuester and Miss Pillsbury both, but she found the idea of the guidance counsellor and the Glee director a much better kind of pairing. How Mr. Schuester couldn't see that was beyond her.

After she'd explained herself to Mr. Schuester, gifting him with potted flowers. They had left the practice room and soon parted ways. As she watched him go, she thought about her previous realization, and she decided it was time to ask the source herself.

As she came up to the office's door, she could see the guidance counsellor sitting at her desk, working at her computer. Rachel could see her head and her lips move ever so slightly, in what she originally believed was her silently reading back what she'd written. But as she looked down to an open file on her desk, she continued to mumble, hum even. It took just a second or two before she picked up on what it was: she was signing 'Don't stand so close to me.' Rachel smiled to herself before she knocked on the door frame. Emma startled and looked up.

"Rachel…" she relaxed for a second before remembering how she'd been, the last time she saw her. "Can I help you?" she shifted into counsellor mode.

"I don't need guidance, Miss Pillsbury," Rachel clarified.

"Really," Emma sat up. "Uh… Why are you here then?" she asked hesitatingly. Was she going to 'claim' Will and try to ward her off the way Terri Schuester had? She didn't know which one was scarier, Will's wife or Rachel Berry.

Without prompt, Rachel moved to sit across from Emma. "First off, I want to make clear I've come back to my senses." Emma's face said 'oh?' Rachel looked down at her hands for a moment. "I know I acted a little crazy."

"Oh, Rachel, you weren't…" Emma's voice spoke sincerity, though her face told another story. When Rachel looked up, Emma's expression shifted to harmonize her words. "So you're okay now?" she asked.

"Yes," Rachel nodded.

"Good," Emma did the same. "Was that all?" she asked, as silence was starting to cling on to the air. Rachel looked up at her, deciding on a plan of action.

"I realized something, after I stopped acting like… that." Emma was nodding along, sensing she knew where this conversation was going… She was wrong. "You like Mr. Schuester." Locked in nod-along mode, Emma kept on nodding while she processed the words. The nod fell off its axis once she'd heard it out.

"Wh… uh…" she stumbled, tapping her fingers on the file before her. She shook her head once. "Rachel, I don't know what you…"

"It's alright, I won't tell anyone, I swear," Rachel nodded, ignoring the denial. "I've seen the way you look at him. And when he sang to me, to us…"

"Rachel, listen," Emma started, and the girl nodded attentively. "I'm… you know I'm engaged, to Coach Tanaka."

"I know," Rachel went on nodding, not moving on her stance. Emma frowned. "But Mr. Schuester…"

"Mr. Schuester is married. I'm engaged. Look, your concern is very sweet, but…"

"Have you ever liked somebody so much you just want to lock yourself in your room, turn on sad music and cry?" Rachel spoke the words she'd given to the guidance counsellor months before. They had the effect she'd have hoped for. Emma seemed less evasive all of a sudden, seeking the right answer.

"Rachel, you know as much as I do that everything doesn't always turn out the way you wanted it to. And there just comes a time where you need to start facing that fact."

"I know," Rachel spoke honestly. Emma nodded quietly. "But in this case, I don't believe you should be giving up," she lowered her voice just a hint. Emma didn't reply… didn't know how to. Satisfied, Rachel stood. "I have to go, we're performing later, we have to prepare," she explained. "Thank you for seeing me," she nodded before turning to leave. She was at the door when…

"Rachel?" She turned. Emma looked at her, looking like she was debating what to say. Eventually though, she blinked. "Have fun," she smiled. Rachel was almost disappointed, but she smiled back and left. Once alone, Emma was free to give her true response.

"Thank you."

THE END


End file.
